The only candidate Anglos can 'Bank' on?

Jan. 1, 2009 10th on the National Union

Gil Hoffman , THE JERUSALEM POST list in 2003 when it won
seven seats and 16th
Five US citizens ran for places on the Likud in 2006 when it
Knesset list, an Australian and a Canadian ran won nine.
in Kadima, and another Canadian sought a
seat in Israel Beiteinu, but none of them won a According to a
realistic slot. deal reached
by the four
The Likud merged Sunday with MK Effi parties that Knesset Candidate Uri Bank
Eitam's Ahi Party and placed former Beit make up the
Shemesh mayoral candidate Shalom Lerner of National Union
Ahi, who has lived in New York, Baltimore and (Hatikva, Tkuma, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu and
London, 39th on the joint list. But no poll has Moledet), if the list wins four seats and enters
shown the gov-
the Likud
winning
“... the only Anglo candidate running with a ernment,
the min-
that many party currently represented in the Knesset who ister
seats. has any chance of getting elected.” would
quit the
The Knesset
Greens, the Green Movement, a new electoral to make room for Bank. They also decided that
reform party called Yisraelim and a breakoff Bank would become the faction's manager in
from the Green Leaf party are fielding Anglo the Knesset if they win fewer than five seats
candidates and are trying to pass the 2 per- but remain in the opposition.
cent electoral threshold for the first time.
A Jerusalem Post poll found that the public
That leaves Detroit-born, Chicago-raised Uri was not aware of the difference between the
Bank of the National Union as the only Anglo National Union and the more centrist, national-
candidate running with a party currently repre- religious Habayit Hayehudi party, but that to-
sented in the Knesset who has any chance of gether they would split seven or eight seats.
getting elected. An internal poll sponsored by Tkuma last
week found that the National Union would win
Bank was placed fifth on the National Union five seats and Habayit Hayehudi three.
list that was submitted to the Central Elections
Committee on Sunday as the top representa- The 40-year-old Bank lives in Neveh Daniel in
tive of his Moledet party following the retire- Gush Etzion with his wife and three children.
ment of its chairman, Benny Elon. The slot He made aliya from Chicago when he was 12
was a significant upgrade for Bank, who was and stayed in the country on his own when his
parents left the country five years later. regular events, and an English Web site up-
dated daily. But Bank said the rejection of
In past elections, Bank ran as an Anglo candi- Anglo candidates in the Likud primary should
date and campaigned specifically in large sway Likud voters to his party.
communities of native English speakers. This
time, he still intends to organize events in the "If [Likud Chairman Binyamin] Netanyahu was
Anglo sector and to build an English-lan- serious about representing the Anglo commu-
guage campaign Web site, but he will also run nity, he could have made sure that an Anglo
on his right- would get on
wing, religious- his list," Bank

"As an Anglo, I understand the need something

Zionist said. "It says
ideology.
for checks and balances and making about the Na-
Israel more democratic more than my
"As an Anglo, I tional Union
understand the that they put an
need for checks Israeli counterparts," Bank said. Anglo candi-
and balances date who ran
and making Is- with them twice
rael more demo- "But my main motivation in running before in a re-
is not only being the Anglo Con-
cratic more than ally realistic
my Israeli coun- slot this time."
terparts," Bank gressman in the Knesset, it's also
representing the people of Israel,
said. Likud Anglos
director Shalom
"But my main Land of Israel and Torah of Israel." Helman said
motivation in Netanyahu
running is not made every ef-
only being the fort to help
Anglo Congressman in the Knesset, it's also Leiter, who following the merger and court
representing the people of Israel, Land of Is- cases ended up 42nd on the party's list.
rael and Torah of Israel."
"[Leiter] didn't do as well, but [it was] in the
Bank will have a disadvantage in seeking Likud, which is a much bigger pond than a
Anglo votes because the Likud began cam- marginal party," Helman said. "But if we do
paigning in the sector two really well and bring people out to vote then
years ago, Lerner and maybe even Yechiel will be MKs,
has as they should be. And anyway, many of our
candidates have been responsive to our
needs, so not having an Anglo at the top of
the list doesn't mean we won't have anyone
representing us."

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